NOVA 535 Unique Event Space

So true! Tonight, January 19, 2017, was another gorgeous night here in Downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. Once again at our Entrepreneur Social Club HQ, NOVA 535. Lots of newcomers, many returning champions, smiles and great energy all around. Come join us on another fun and productive night of laughs, learning, drinking, amazing food, and some truly priceless moments! Learn how entrepreneurs are the bricks and mortar holding our world together. Let’s Rock-n-Rolla!

Many new Entrepreneurs bustling with positive energy tonight at ESC. It’s Thursday, time for our weekly gathering of Entrepreneurs, seasoned business owners, start-ups and students, mentors and those just wanting to make new friends and network at the The Entrepreneur Social Club. That’s Thursday December 15, 2016, here in warm and sunny Downtown St. Pete, Florida. If it’s your first time welcome to the ESC and if not then welcome back!

Are you ready for another Entrepreneurial adventure? One with laughs, tears and agony from heartache and loss, positive growth and knowledge, one where an Iberian Rooster is involved, plus mucho mucho high quality Tequila. Then fire up a Jzon-van-oh-my-damn late night alley tour, and fast forward to the end, past the many stops, laughs and hilarious moments we don;t allow on film – for our brains only. We don’t kiss and tell (well, not always). A story where everyone ends up safe and sound. Why? Because we all use UBER, silly! So tonight we’ll title our story: Happy Birthday Dorkstar, Dinner at Iberian Rooster!

This week it was feeling a lot like the Holidays, a desire to be relaxed coupled with a bit of extra craziness… and that’s because it was time for our annual Holiday party, our 9th Nova Noel! Of course it was held at Entrepreneur Social Club‘s headquarters, NOVA 535, in beautiful Downtown St. Pete. The decorations and atmosphere were simply exploding with festive vibes, and we were loving all of it.

As I was wrapping up a pre-ESC business meeting, Shaun Rubrecht, who left 15 months ago on a 30 day trip to Thailand, yup you read that correctly, walked back into the club. Wowzers! Shaun, seated below front left in purple dress shirt, caught the “4-Hour Work Week” bug – if you haven’t read it yet, do so. Also read Entrepreneur Revolution by Daniel Priestly. It is another great book to frame how we Entrepreneurs think and act. Welcome back brother!! Tonight’s (December 1, 2016) theme is “2016 Accomplishments We Are Most Proud Of”. So let’s jump right into the Entrepreneur Social Club hosted again here at HQ – DTSP historic venue NOVA 535.

First of all, it’s a miracle that I walked out with my wallet still intact. I think that deserves a nice round of applause. (Thank you, thank you very much…..oh, by the way I’m Audrey Jennifer! Hello!)

Tonight Thursday September 8, 2016 was another gorgeous yet hot St. Petersburg evening as we rolled into historic venue NOVA 535 for another ESC gathering. Instead of heading out after our scheduled ESC meeting, which runs 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, dinner was in tonight, testing out Spotlight Catering. Hint! Their food was delicious! Who am I? Michael S. Novilla the founder of the Entrepreneur Social Club (ESC), way back in 2009, in honor of Ben Franklin’s Junto Club. Also I own and run NOVA 535 Unique Event Space and DowntownStPete.com. But tonight isn’t about me (below) it’s about my fascinating fellow Entrepreneurs like good old Ben….do read on!

Summertime in Florida is hot and sticky, even here in Downtown St. Pete, aka DTSP, with the cooling breezes off the gulf and bay. So when I can, I escape to somewhere else. Not a vacation, which implies NOT working. Traveling is how I describe it. I know, whaaaa poor me! See we created a digital system to run NOVA 535, my historic wedding and event venue, remotely. NOVA is where most every (physical) Entrepreneur Social Club (ESC) meeting is held. So this week, July 21, 2016, When the Cat was away the mice did play. Play, well mainly some “forgot” to show up for our weekly Thursday night ESC meeting. I mean we’ve only been holding these EVERY THURSDAY night since February 2009. Some habits take longer to sink in I guess…haha! Though some of my favorite meetings have been when there are under 20 guests; it allows for much deeper discussions than where our table is overflowing with 50 and more. Tonight big

Tonight we are delving into “Why we should not discount our pricing when asked by a prospective client.” Aside from the fact that it’s irritating – like when you’re in Outback Steakhouse and you offer them $15 for their $23 Ribeye. Huh? My mortgage holder, tax collector and insurance men would laugh in my face if I suggested 15% off. When you agree to give a client a discount, you are undermining your business, value and reputation. You are now open to negotiating everything, including the value you place on your time and efforts. Once you know, really know your costs and value, then you set your pricing to where it needs to be at and that’s that.

Tonight Thursday May 26, 2016 we decided to stay at historic event venue NOVA 535 for our post meeting dinner and drinks so we could watch our local hockey team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, play in game 7 of the Stanley Cup semifinals against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Hence the title Hot Pucks and Cold Fish. This was a smart suggestion made by Nick Mazeika (Business Consulting and NOVA 535 Sales) in our weekly meeting with Chris Jenkins (I’m Their Web Guy and CTO Symphoni Media), so we were sure we’d have plenty of space and be able to watch or schmooze or both, right here in the comfort of our NOVAverse. We love frequenting the many fabulous restaurants, cafes and nightlife options here in Downtown St. Pete, aka DTSP, but it’s also nice not to have to drive anywhere. You all are welcome for the extra 20 minutes and free parking!